The Knicks path to the Finals, in the data
Defensive throttle, quarter identity, Brunson's hunt map, and the postseason leap leaderboard.
The Knicks didn’t outscore their way to the Finals. They suffocated. New York is 16-3 through 19 playoff games at 115.8 PPG scored against 100.9 allowed (+14.9 per game). They beat ATL 4-2, swept PHI 4-0, swept CLE 4-0. The defensive story: Cavaliers averaged 119.5 PPG in the regular season and just 99.5 across 4 playoff games against New York, a 20-point throttle. The postseason leap leader is OG Anunoby, who jumped from 62% true shooting in the regular season to 72.1% in the playoffs.
1 · The Defensive Throttle
How much New York reduced each opponent’s offense relative to that opponent’s regular-season production. The bigger the regular-season offense, the harder the Knicks throttled it.
| Round | Opponent | G | Reg PPG | vs NYK | Drop | Reg FG% | vs NYK | Reg 3P% | vs NYK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Atlanta Hawks (ATL) | 6 | 118.5 | 100.3 | −18.2 | 47.4% | 43.6% | 37.1% | 31.2% |
| R2 | Philadelphia 76ers (PHI) | 4 | 115.9 | 102 | −13.9 | 46.2% | 45% | 34.9% | 31.3% |
| R3 | Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE) | 4 | 119.5 | 99.5 | −20 | 48.2% | 42.6% | 36% | 28.9% |
| R4 | San Antonio Spurs (SAS) | 5 | 119.8 | 102 | −17.8 | 48.3% | 41.8% | 35.9% | 33.9% |
2 · Quarter Identity
Points scored vs allowed per quarter across all 19 playoff games. New York established the game in the first quarter every series, and never relinquished it.
3 · The Brunson Hunt Map
The opposing defenders Jalen Brunson spent the most possessions matched up against in each series, with what he produced against each. Possessions come from NBA matchup-tracking data — the score against each defender is points Brunson scored when that defender was guarding him.
Matchup tracking data missing for game 4 of the Cleveland series — NBA-side data gap.
4 · The Postseason Leap Leaderboard
True shooting and points per game for every Knick who logged at least 30 regular-season games and 6 playoff games — ranked by efficiency jump. Higher load + higher efficiency is the rarest combination in basketball.
| Player | Reg PPG | PO PPG | Δ PPG | Reg TS% | PO TS% | Δ TS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG Anunoby | 16.7 | 20.1 | +3.4 | 62% | 72.1% | +10.1 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 20.1 | 15.9 | -4.2 | 61.9% | 68.4% | +6.5 |
| Mikal Bridges | 14.4 | 13.5 | -0.9 | 58.7% | 64.3% | +5.6 |
| Landry Shamet | 9.3 | 6 | -3.3 | 59.8% | 63.4% | +3.6 |
| Tyler Kolek | 4.4 | 3.5 | -0.9 | 53.3% | 54.1% | +0.7 |
| Jalen Brunson | 26 | 28.4 | +2.3 | 58% | 57.3% | -0.7 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 8.6 | 4.9 | -3.7 | 54.8% | 52.1% | -2.7 |
| Miles McBride | 12 | 5.6 | -6.3 | 57.8% | 49.3% | -8.5 |
| Josh Hart | 12 | 10.4 | -1.6 | 61.2% | 52.5% | -8.7 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 5.7 | 4.8 | -0.8 | 67.6% | 56.1% | -11.5 |
| Ariel Hukporti | 2.2 | 1.7 | -0.5 | 61.9% | 48.3% | -13.6 |
| Mohamed Diawara | 3.6 | 1.2 | -2.4 | 55% | 26.9% | -28.1 |
Three different opponents, three different defensive schemes, one identity. The Knicks haven’t needed a single 40-point individual game to reach the Finals. They’ve held three of the East’s top offenses to a combined ~18 PPG below their regular-season norms, scored at least 100 in 13 of 14 playoff games, and gotten an efficiency leap from nearly every rotation player. Track every step from here on the team page.
More analysis
- LaMelo Ball to Minnesota: how two 30% usage guards fit, and where it breaks
- The Charlotte Hornets turnaround, broken down
- Atlanta after Trae Young: how the Hawks reshaped themselves
- How the Knicks held Tyrese Maxey down in the East Semifinals
- NBA Finals preview: Knicks vs Spurs, the matchup breakdown
- Karl-Anthony Towns and the shooting stretch that changed the Knicks